Coinbase (staking / cbETH): staking platforms rating breakdown
One genuine advantage, and it is the one this page cares about: cbETH is the most sellable staking token here, turning over 7.3% of its market cap daily — because it trades on Coinbase’s own order book rather than in a thin on-chain pool. Credit for that. It also shows you a net number rather than a gross one.
One genuine advantage, and it is the one this page cares about: cbETH is the most sellable staking token here, turning over 7.3% of its market cap daily — because it trades on Coinbase’s own order book rather than in a thin on-chain pool. Credit for that. It also shows you a net number rather than a gross one.
How the score is built
Each criterion is scored 0–10 and weighted. The median column is the middle score across every entry in this ranking, so a row reads as a position rather than a number.
| Criterion | What we measured | Weight | Score | Category median | Rank | Weighted gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custody and slashing | — | 35% | 3 | 3 | 2 of 4 | 0.00 |
| Do they tell you what they take? | ~29% of rewards implied commission · computed · 2026-07-15 | 25% | 3 | 3.5 | 3 of 4 | -0.13 |
| Net yield against the real ceiling | 1.75 what you are paid · published · 2026-07-15 · source2.473 what the network pays · computed · 2026-07-15 | 25% | 3 | 6 | 4 of 4 | -0.75 |
| Can you get out? | — | 15% | 7 | 2 | 1 of 3 | +0.75 |
Measured 15 July 2026 · weights and method · decided by net yield against the real ceiling, worth -0.75 points against the median
Custody and slashing: 3/10
Do you hold an asset or an IOU against a company balance sheet? Who signs, who can freeze, and what happens to your stake if the operator fails. When a validator is slashed, what actually covers it — a contractual claim you own, a fund of undisclosed size, or nothing at all. A solo validator scores here on the fact that no third party can freeze it, and is docked because 100% of the slashing risk lands on you.
Scored 3 of 10 against a category median of 3, which places it 2nd of 4 among staking platforms on this criterion. At a 35% weight that is exactly level with the median of the weighted total. The best score in the category is 6, the worst 2.
Do they tell you what they take?: 3/10
Not the fee percentage — whether the yield they SHOW you is the yield you GET. Kraken’s own support page states the in-app APYs "do not include Kraken’s commission". Coinbase states a retail rate and never states the take rate behind it, which we then have to derive by dividing against the network rate.
Scored 3 of 10 against a category median of 3.5, which places it 3rd of 4 among staking platforms on this criterion. At a 25% weight that is 0.13 points below the median contribution of the weighted total. The best score in the category is 10, the worst 2.
Net yield against the real ceiling: 3/10
Measured against the gross rate the network actually pays, which we derive rather than accept: the protocol APR before anyone’s cut. Every platform is scored on how much of that it gives back to you, not on how its headline compares to a competitor’s headline.
Scored 3 of 10 against a category median of 6, which places it 4th of 4 among staking platforms on this criterion. At a 25% weight that is 0.75 points below the median contribution of the weighted total. The best score in the category is 10, the worst 3.
Can you get out?: 7/10
Unbonding and withdrawal mechanics as the platform documents them: the exit queue, any platform-imposed lock, and — where the platform issues a token instead of an unlock — the depth genuinely available to sell into. Marked not-applicable, with its weight redistributed, where there is no product between you and the protocol exit queue.
Scored 7 of 10 against a category median of 2, which places it 1st of 3 among staking platforms on this criterion. At a 15% weight that is 0.75 points above the median contribution of the weighted total. The best score in the category is 7, the worst 1.
Other measurements
- what you hold
- an IOU, not an asset SOURCED
Its nearest neighbours in this ranking
| # | Entry | Net yield against the real ceiling | How it differs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solo staking (your own validator) | 10 | Ahead by 7 on net yield against the real ceiling. |
| 3 | Kraken (bonded staking) | 4 | Ahead by 1 on net yield against the real ceiling. |
Questions about this score
How much does Coinbase take from staking rewards?
+
About 29%, implied. It pays retail roughly 1.75% while the network pays about 2.473%, and it does not publish the take rate anywhere — you have to derive the gross figure and divide. For comparison, Lido's fee is 10% and is stated plainly in its documentation along with the formula.
Is cbETH easier to sell than stETH?
+
Considerably, on our measurement: cbETH turns over 7.3% of its market cap daily against stETH's 0.07%, because it trades on Coinbase's own order book rather than depending on on-chain pool depth. In a category where four fully-backed tokens have collapsed for lack of anyone to sell to, that is a real and underrated advantage.